Give Your Household a Checkup

You want your home to be a safe and pleasant refuge from the bustle and stress of daily life. How can you make sure it’s healthy for you and your family? Use this checklist to identify several basic health or safety hazards and learn simple steps to correct them.

Overall Home Health

• Many people are concerned about air pollution, but because you spend at least half your life inside, the air inside your home matters, too. One easy way to improve your home’s healthfulness is to set a no-smoking policy indoors. Opening a window or running a fan is not enough to protect inhabitants from secondhand smoke.
• Homes built before 1978 may have lead paint, which is especially dangerous to young children. If your home was built earlier, have a certified inspector test it. Research the best way to clean up, remove or seal lead paint or how to remodel a home that has lead paint before you undertake these potentially hazardous projects.
• Have your heating system, fireplace and chimney checked yearly by a qualified technician. Any device that burns a carbon-based fuel (such as gas, oil, kerosene or wood) can cause a deadly buildup of carbon monoxide (CO) if it doesn’t operate or vent properly. CO is a toxic gas you cannot see, taste or smell. Be sure to install CO detectors as indicated.
• Look for and fix water leaks — either where moisture seeps into your home from the outside, such as through the roof or basement, or where indoor moisture collects, such as from a dripping pipe under a sink. Moisture encourages mold and insects.
• Regularly clean any appliance that circulates, heats, cools or alters the humidity of your indoor air, such as an air-conditioning unit. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions about cleaning and changing filters.

Your Kitchen

• Store household cleaners and other chemicals in their original containers with their labels. If you must switch containers, never put such products in containers used for food. Keep them in cabinets with child-resistant latches or locks.
• When cooking, open the window or run the exhaust fan if you have one to remove moisture and fumes.
• Seal up food and clean spills promptly to discourage bugs and other pests that may harm your health. For example, some people with asthma can have flare-ups caused by inhaling particles from cockroach droppings.
• Flush your water pipes by running cold water through them for a couple of minutes before you drink or cook with the water, if it’s been at least a few hours since you last ran the water. This reduces your risk of ingesting lead or copper from pipes. Sitting water and hot water can pick up these metals.
• If you have your own well for drinking water, have your water tested annually for contaminants. Call your local or state health department to find out about testing in your area. If you get drinking water from a public water system, your supplier must send you an annual water-quality report.

Your Bathrooms

• Run the exhaust fan — or, if you have no fan, open the window — when you shower or bathe. This reduces moisture and helps prevent mold and dust mite growth.
• Keep electrical appliances, such as hair dryers or radios, away from water sources, including the sink and bathtub. Move them to where children can’t reach them. Unplug them when not in use.
• Keep medicines and supplements in the containers they came in. Store them where children can’t see or reach them, and use child-resistant latches to keep kids out.

Your Bedrooms

• Put a smoke alarm outside every bedroom and one on every level of your home that has no bedrooms. Test alarms monthly, keep them dust-free and change batteries at least once a year. Replace alarms every 10 years or as often as the manufacturer recommends. A smoke alarm can double your chance of survival.
• Install a CO detector on every level of your home. Install alarms and test and replace their batteries according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Clean up surface dust, minimize moisture and wash bedding (and washable stuffed toys) in at least 130-degree water once a week to help control dust mites. These microscopic bugs and their droppings can trigger allergic reactions or asthma attacks.

Back to Top